Dan Snow’s History Hit: “What Was the Hanseatic League?”

Date: December 29, 2025
Guest: Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz, Associate Professor of Medieval History, University of Amsterdam
Host: Dan Snow

Episode Overview

This episode explores the origins, nature, and legacy of the Hanseatic League—a powerful yet elusive medieval trading network spanning Northern Europe. Dan Snow speaks with Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz to decode how this loose federation of merchant elites shaped the commerce, politics, and urban life of the Middle Ages. Together, they examine what made the Hanseatic League so successful, how it operated, and what its story reveals about alternatives to the modern nation state.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining the Hanseatic League

[05:42–07:59]

• The so-called “Hanseatic League” wasn’t truly a “league” in the formal sense.
• Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz highlights the amorphous, decentralized character of the Hansa:

  “So in a sense, I think it's good to start by saying that the Hansa was not really a league. It was something totally different and it was something confusing, both to contemporaries and it is still to us now…” (Santa, 05:59)

• There was no common treasury, representative, or foundational charter, which protected members from collective liability.

2. Origins and Spread

[08:10–11:08]

• Emerged from the activities of German merchants, especially from Lübeck, who organized abroad to secure trading privileges.
• Not a top-down creation:

  “...the fact that merchants from Cologne and also later Lubeck and other cities, venture[d] to London in the 12th century and established a guild hall... This is the beginning of the hanse.” (Santa, 08:10)

• Developed outward, as merchants established settlements in port cities like London, Bruges, Bergen, Novgorod.

3. Identity, Organization, and Membership

[11:08–13:03, 19:52–21:19]

• Hansa merchants spoke German dialects, operated under “German law,” but “German” did not mean a modern national identity.
• The network was open and flexible—cities joined or drifted away organically.
• City representatives met at the Lübeck “diets”—week-long assemblies to coordinate trade policies and resolve conflicts.
• Membership boundaries were intentionally vague to avoid burdens and keep the structure elastic:

  “It's only in the 16th century that you have lists really of hanseatic cities before you grew into the hanse by sending your...merchants abroad.” (Santa, 20:12)

4. Advantages of the Hansa System

[13:03–17:04, 21:19–23:20]

• Provided advantages for mobility, information-sharing, settling disputes, and securing more favorable trade treaties abroad.
• Merchants across Hansa cities could access similar rights and legal protections.
• Robust system for managing internal conflict: e.g., mediation in disputes, clear channels for redressing wrongs.
• Created a real sense of common good transgressing the boundaries of singular cities:

  “They had a concept of an adapted concept of the common good...the medieval concept of the common good...adapted...to the common cities and to the common merchants.” (Santa, 13:56)

5. Social and Economic Life

[21:19–23:20]

• The Hansa functioned as an economic “social network”—strong family connections, apprenticeships, and marriage alliances among merchant families.
• High mobility across the North and Baltic Seas, rivers; shared economic and urban culture.

6. Political Power and Conflict

[23:20–25:25]

• The Hansa could act like a sovereign power—declaring war, blockading ports, conducting negotiations as a bloc.
• Preferred negotiation over violence, but waged war when necessary, e.g., against the Danish King or during disputes with England.
• Shared responsibilities for conflict: different cities might contribute ships, men, or finances.

7. Leadership and Structure

[25:00–27:27]

• A remarkably “flat” organization—no monarchs or permanent figureheads.
• Leadership was rotating, often seen as a burden.
• Even as calls grew in the 16th century for a more formal organization, the Hansa resisted centralization.
• Most leaders were merchant-politicians who relished their multi-faceted roles.

8. Alternative to the Nation-State

[27:12–32:08]

• The decline and failure to evolve into a “hard” state was due to rising centralized states and shifting trade routes.
• The Hansa provides a model of cross-border cooperation, a “Europe of cities,” rather than nations—a reminder that alternate political structures are possible:

  “It’s not statehood or nationhood, but a kind of collective living, acting for hundreds of years, where political boundaries are less important than the networks, the economic and the social and partly political networks that are being forged bottom up.” (Santa, 28:48)

• Modern “city-to-city” partnerships echo the spirit of the Hansa.

9. Legacy and Modern Relevance

[32:08–33:05]

• The Hansa’s memory survives architecturally and in names (e.g., Lufthansa: “Hansa of the air”).
• The network concept and collaborative ethos inspire current cross-city initiatives, especially in Northern Europe.
• The Hansa is both a real historical entity and an inspiring blueprint for alternative ways of organizing trade and politics.

Notable Quotes

• “It's like the old quote about the Holy Roman Empire. It's neither Holy, Roman nor an empire. So the Hanseatic League was neither hanseatic nor a league.”
  — Dan Snow, (06:36)
• “There was no common chest, so no common finances. You could say there was no common representative ... It did not fit in the definitions of Roman law at that time. So it was a nice way to kind of avoid collective liability...”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (06:43)
• “You have to have ways to sometimes prevent [conflicts], but also effectively address them.”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (13:56)
• “It's more about economics, it's more about trade, about social and capital that they're building. So it's an interesting way of a more holistic approach to political life...”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (26:16)
• “Perhaps if states didn't evolve the way they did, but cities stayed within their power and autonomy, then perhaps the whole of Europe would eventually be a Europe of cities. Which in a sense it is becoming in some aspects. Again...”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (29:15)
• “Since the 1980s, you see this cooperation gaining traction again...So it still exists, in a sense. The Hansa have never ceased to exist.”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (30:34)
• “It evokes something which is sturdy, reliable, which has historical roots and which travels further than just one locality.”
  — Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz, (32:19)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [05:23–07:59] — Introduction and the elusive nature of the Hansa
• [08:10–11:08] — Origins and outward movement
• [11:08–13:03] — Linguistic/legal identity and mechanisms for collaboration
• [13:03–17:04] — Practical benefits, management of conflict, concept of common good
• [19:52–21:19] — Fluid membership and flexibility
• [21:19–23:20] — Social mobility, merchant families, and trade networks
• [23:20–25:25] — Military and diplomatic roles of the Hansa
• [25:00–27:27] — Flat leadership and internal governance
• [27:12–32:08] — Hansa as an alternative to the nation-state, and legacy
• [32:08–33:05] — Modern echoes and enduring influence

Tone and Language

• The tone is curious, analytical, and conversational, blending Dan’s accessible historical enthusiasm with Dr. Wubs-Mrozewicz’s scholarly insights and clear explanations.

Memorable Moments

• The analogy with the Holy Roman Empire for understanding historical misnomers ([06:36]).
• Discussion on “club membership” fluidity—no formal joining or leaving, just drifting in or out based on advantage ([20:12]).
• The description of elaborate merchant social networks and mobility:

  “It was also a social network in that sense. And what always amazes me is when I read the primary sources, is how huge this mobility was...” ([21:46])

• Speculation on a possible “Europe of cities” if history had taken a difference course, and reflections on present-day city alliances as “the ghost or inspiration of the Hanse” ([29:15], [31:41]).

For Further Information

• Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz’s website will be linked in the show notes for those interested in her research on medieval trade and the Hanseatic League.

This summary captures the heart of the conversation, making the Hanseatic League’s complexity and resonance accessible to new listeners.